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GaoLing Young
Art Kamen is Ruth’s partner. He’s a linguist who works at the Center on Deafness at the University of California, San Francisco. Ruth lives with Art at his flat in San Francisco, and Art’s daughters, Dory and Fia, join them every other week. Ruth loves Art but has many doubts about her relationship, often feeling as though Art takes her for granted and is unwilling to accommodate her needs. Meanwhile, Ruth’s emotionally distanced demeanor and unwillingness to voice her needs frustrates Art, though he, too, fails to address this. For example, the fact that she and Art have never married, despite being together for a decade, makes Ruth feel disposable and temporary, yet she never conveys her unhappiness to Art. Compounding Ruth’s insecurity is that Art’s ex-wife, Miriam, is such a permanent part of his life by virtue of the two children they co-parent. After Ruth moves out of Art’s flat to take care of LuLing full-time, Art realizes the extent to which he has taken Ruth for granted and makes an effort to show her how much he values her, as well as expressing how much it hurts him when Ruth cuts herself off from him emotionally. The couple’s ultimate fate remains unknown, but the novel strongly suggests that they will continue to repair their relationship, and Art even floats the idea of marriage. Most meaningfully, he insists on financing LuLing’s stay at the Mira Mar Manor assisted living facility, which practically and symbolically shows his acknowledgment that Ruth’s struggles are his struggles, too.
Art Kamen Quotes in The Bonesetter’s Daughter
The The Bonesetter’s Daughter quotes below are all either spoken by Art Kamen or refer to Art Kamen. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part One: Chapter Two
Quotes
In an odd way, she now thought, her mother was the one who had taught her to become a book doctor. Ruth had to make life better by revising it.
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Part One: Chapter Four
Quotes
They were nice to her, certainly. They had given her lovely birthday presents, a silk velvet scarf, Chanel No. 5, a lacquered tea tray, but nothing she might share with Art or pass on to his girls—or any future children, for that matter, since she was beyond the possibility of giving the Kamens additional grandchildren. Miriam, on the other hand, was now and forever the mother of the Kamens’ granddaughters, the keeper of heirlooms for Fia and Dory. Marty and Arlene already had given her the family sterling, china, and the mezuzah kissed by five generations of Kamens since the days they lived in Ukraine.
A lot of her admonitions had to do with not showing what you really meant about all sorts of things: hope, disappointment, and especially love. The less you showed, the more you meant.
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Part One: Chapter Seven
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Her hands would always be full, and finally, she and her mother could both stop counting.
Get the entire The Bonesetter’s Daughter LitChart as a printable PDF.
Art Kamen Quotes in The Bonesetter’s Daughter
The The Bonesetter’s Daughter quotes below are all either spoken by Art Kamen or refer to Art Kamen. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part One: Chapter Two
Quotes
In an odd way, she now thought, her mother was the one who had taught her to become a book doctor. Ruth had to make life better by revising it.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part One: Chapter Four
Quotes
They were nice to her, certainly. They had given her lovely birthday presents, a silk velvet scarf, Chanel No. 5, a lacquered tea tray, but nothing she might share with Art or pass on to his girls—or any future children, for that matter, since she was beyond the possibility of giving the Kamens additional grandchildren. Miriam, on the other hand, was now and forever the mother of the Kamens’ granddaughters, the keeper of heirlooms for Fia and Dory. Marty and Arlene already had given her the family sterling, china, and the mezuzah kissed by five generations of Kamens since the days they lived in Ukraine.
A lot of her admonitions had to do with not showing what you really meant about all sorts of things: hope, disappointment, and especially love. The less you showed, the more you meant.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part One: Chapter Seven
Quotes
Her hands would always be full, and finally, she and her mother could both stop counting.
